Friday, May 29, 2009

This is the third novel by Tracy Chevalier that I have read and I have found them all utterly compelling and so different. I loved the choice of title which I felt was a clever use of symbolism, with angels falling throughout the book! The opening chapter may well surprise you about those staid Victorians.Falling Angels is about the friendship of two little girls Lavinia Waterhouse and Maude Coleman.Covering the time from when they first met in the local graveyard, where their family plots are next door to each other. It is 1901 and everyone is in mourning for the death of Queen Victoria. We follow the girls growing up through changing times for the next nine years. The book is narrated by just about every character in the book, so the story comes together seen through the eyes of not only the two protagonists but their families, household staff and two members of the graveyard staff that play important roles in the plot. This structure gave the effect of feeling very much part of the plot oneself as though all the characters were speaking to you personally, which very cleverly makes you feel you are there! Drawn into the seemingly mundane lives of the Waterhouse and Coleman families the drama builds as Maude’s mother becomes involved with the suffragette movement and a series of tragedies occur. I recommend this novel as an enjoyable read written from an interesting angle about a fascinating period in British history.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Susie Kelly, a fifty plus English woman domiciled in France decided to take time out from a busy smallholding lifestyle and walk miles across France.

The idea came to her while walking in the lanes around her home one cold January day and becoming bored with repitiveness of her walks. Incidentally an idea I find strange as I always find there is something different to look at with the ever changing seasons.So Susie decides to embark on a walk from La Rochelle to Lake Geneva. A journey of some 550 miles that would take her approx six weeks to complete. Four months of planning and training followed before she set off, leaving her smallholding in the capable hands of an American she had found via the internet!

This was a decent average read but I do not rate it highly enough to give it 4 or 5 stars on Amazon as all the other reviewers appear to have done. I felt that Susie must be an exceptionally determined woman with a good sense of humour to have succeeded in overcoming the difficulties she encountered en route. A leaking tent and almost constant pain with my feet would have had me going mad.

Friday, May 22, 2009

This personal diary covers a two month period in the life of a young German woman. She writes of her life in Berlin from April to June 1945 when Berliners came to realise what war and defeat was to mean to them as the Russian army arrived in the city. The protagonist is anonymous but we know that she worked in publishing and is intelligent. She speaks some Russian and French which helped her to cope in the horrendous situation Berliners found themselves in after the fall of the Nazis.A large proportion of the women were subjected to the indignity of rape and the diary reveals how the women and the protagonist in particular coped with the terrifying situation that they found themselves in. They were struggling for survival from day to day from the horrendous violence, cruelty and starvation. It seemed that the Russians subjected them to this treatment in retaliation for their suffering under the Germans earlier in the war.A tragic true account of an extraordinary brief period during the Second World War which I am glad I read although it is quite distressing.

Friday, May 15, 2009

If I had read the book cover before deciding to read this I would probably never have started it, as it does say that this author is the queen of modern fairytale, the idea of which just does not appeal to me.A strange tale of modern fantasy; which did not appeal to me very much. Although I did finish reading in the hope that it might have improved. It didn’t which was disappointing.I found the story was spun out for far too long and it therefore became rather boring. After having a blood transfusion the heroine Joyce Conway finds that she has memories and talents that she never had beforehand. It appears that she has taken these attributes from Justin Hitchcock the hero of the story, although of course it takes a long time for her to discover and prove this rather ridiculous fantasy.

The only other title I have read by this author is her debut novel P.S. I Love You which I seem to remember I enjoyed. I do not think I will be going out of my way to read any more by this author

If I had read the book cover before deciding to read this I would probably never have started it, as it does say that this author is the queen of modern fairytale, the idea of which just does not appeal to me.A strange tale of modern fantasy; which did not appeal to me very much. Although I did finish reading in the hope that it might have improved. It didn’t which was disappointing.I found the story was spun out for far too long and it therefore became rather boring. After having a blood transfusion the heroine Joyce Conway finds that she has memories and talents that she never had beforehand. It appears that she has taken these attributes from Justin Hitchcock the hero of the story, although of course it takes a long time for her to discover and prove this rather ridiculous fantasy.

The only other title I have read by this author is her debut novel P.S. I Love You which I seem to remember I enjoyed. I do not think I will be going out of my way to read any more by this author

Monday, May 11, 2009

Hilarious and tragic at the same time, a difficult combination but once again Marina Lewycka has carried it off. Another farcical tale of Ukranians and other immigrants trying to find a better life for themselves in Englands green and pleasant land.It starts in the Strawberry fields of Kent and a series of incidents lead our protagonists Andriy and Irina to Sheffield. It starts with a much larger group of immigrants but they gradually get left along the way until we are left with just the two. The original group being exploited by their employers and the criminal types that found them the work in the first place, decide to take the caravan they currently live in on the road to find their destinys. The motley group consists of Andriy, Ukrainian, son of a miner, Polish Tomasz, Vitaly, Yola, her niece Marta, all from EasternEurope, two Chinese girls, Irina who is fairly educated and is in England to improve her English, Emanuel from Malawi and of course the dog. The latter even narrates the story at times from a dogs point of view, strange but funny! It is on the road during various adventures whilst discovering the harsh realities of life that the group disperses all over England..Among the adventures are scenes in a poultry rearing unit, which makes disturbing reading if you are overly sensitive to such unpleaseant facts. Also making a brief appearance in a nursing home adventure is the old man Nikolai Mayevskyj from the authors first novel, a clever and amusing little touch. Fishing, restaurant work, and of course the initial strawberry picking scenes are also involved in this comical but poignant view of the illegal immigrant community in England.

My Book Reviews

Books I read are reviewed here with a short paragraph containing my personal opinion without spoilers. Publishing details, a Précis plus an Author Profile are also included.

The latter as I find it interesting to learn a little about the background of the authors I am reading, so I hope others do as well. Enjoy browsing my reviews and maybe finding some authors and titles that appeal to you.

Thanks for your continuing support.

NB: My life is currently so busy that I am not publishing reviews here very often. If you are interested in more up-to-date information about my reading, please visit my profile on Goodreads. https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/117720-lindyloumac

Encouraging you to read the book. No spoilers is my policy, when writing reviews.

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Blog Dedication

Since soon after the start of the new millennium my late husband David and I planned then lived a dream life in Northern Lazio, Italy. Sadly his death has meant the end of this particular life adventure but what a wonderful one it was. I am so grateful we took that leap into a different life together.

Thankyou for all the wonderful support I have had from all around the world. I have dedicated 'News From Italy' and my other blogs to this wonderful man, who was a very special husband, father, brother, son, uncle and friend to all who knew him. David Stewart McFall July 27th 1950 - May 24th 2013

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About Me

Since soon after the start of the new millennium my husband
David and I planned then lived a dream life in Northern Lazio, Italy. Sadly his
death has meant the end of this particular life adventure but what a wonderful
one it was. I am so grateful we took that leap into a different life together.

Thankyou for all the wonderful support I have had from all around
the world. I have dedicated 'News From Italy' and my other blogs to this
wonderful man, who was a very special husband, father, brother, son, uncle and
friend to all who knew him. David Stewart McFall July 27th 1950 - May 24th 2013